YAFA, or the Youth and Family Achievement program, is a progression-based
achievement program designed to teach medieval skills to youths across the
SCA. With levels for age groups starting at five up through seventeen, the
proposed YAFA program would provide a common SCA-wide platform that
would allow families and children to explore together areas of their own
interest while learning from a designated mentor.
The general email for the YAFA program is [email protected].
YAFA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Q:
Who is the proposed YAFA program for?
A:
The program is for all members of the SCA that have an interest in fostering family and
youth involvement within the SCA. It is for children and youth between the ages of 5 and 17, it is
for parents, and it is for other adults (who may or may not be parents), who wish to share their
sk ills with the next generation.
Q:
What is the point of the proposed YAFA program?
A:
YAFA is designed both to facilitate the continuous involvement of families with the SCA
by developing a common Society-wide program of shared activity, and to ensure that we continue
to evolve an energetic society of honorable citizens developed from within. This program will
guide and encourage young people and their families in seek ing opportunities for involvement in
the Society. It will aid in the development of the next generation of artisans and craftsmen for the
SCA.
Q:
A:
How will the proposed YAFA program be helpful to families in the SCA?
YAFA is a well-defined, carefully structured program to mentor youths who are
interested in learning about and gaining skills related to the Middle Ages and the SCA itself. It
encourages and guides the youths in their chosen topics and helps them gain a certain level of
proficiency. Because the youths are making the choice of topics that are of interest to them, it
avoids the “have-to” stigma of school while enhancing interest and participation levels through
self-direction. Mentors provide guidance and evaluation of progress, but success and completion
depends on the youth, not the Mentor or the parent. Involved youths do the work themselves,
and the "reward" (Achievement Tokens) system acknowledges their accomplishments and
encourages them to stay involved and progress to higher levels or new topics. Accountability is a
foundation of the program. There will not only be accountability by the youth to the Mentor, but
more importantly, the Mentor will be modeling accountability to the youth based on their
participation. Participating youths will come out of their YAFA experiences not only more
knowledgeable and proficient in medieval topics and skills, but more importantly, as more
independent, well-rounded individuals. The program will also give participating youths a deeper
and more continuous sense of involvement in the SCA – making them more likely to be willing to
share in and be involved with the interests of their parents. In addition, the core values and the
achievement topics are not only relevant to the Middle Ages, but also have modern world
applications and are thus designed to additionally help participating youths as they grow and
develop within the modern world. Chivalry, ethics, mercy and the rest of the seven noble virtues
taught through the program are keys to being a successful adult – and learning about these
virtues will serve participating youths and their family at home, at school and at their future
workplace.
Q:
What are the Achievement Tokens in the proposed YAFA program?
A:
Achievement tok ens are common Society-wide rewards which recognize the successful
completion of each Achievement subject at each participation level within YAFA. They are not
awards or honors, per se, but simply physical tok ens to recognize success and achievement
within the YAFA program. While the tok ens are an external manifestation of achievement and
are designed to be attractive and sought-after, they are simply recognitions of the more valuable
reward of the program – the participation and achievement itself.
Q:
What ages would be included in the YAFA program?
A:
The YAFA program is divided into four age groups for youth ages 5-17 and their families.
The first three groups provide opportunities to study the same or similar subjects as adult Society
members with age-appropriate materials and activities suitable for that age group. Each
successive age group builds upon the k nowledge and sk ill set of the prior group, providing a plan
to greater understanding and deeper sk ill levels. The fourth age group is encouraged to tak e a
more active role in their local branch and participate at a near-adult level.
 Division 1: Ages 5 to 8 years old. They participate mainly with the attendance
and help of their parents, as is appropriate to their social development.
 Division 2: Ages 9 to 11 years old. While increasingly independent, this age
group is still anchored in the family while exploring beyond those boundaries.
While parental participation may occur here, children at this age range will begin
developing independence as they work with mentors.
 Division 3: Ages 12 to 14 years old. These participants are ready to act
independently with their contemporaries and with selected adult mentors while
still strengthening their ties to their families and households through interaction
and feedback .
 Division 4: Ages 15 to 17. The oldest participants are right on the cusp of adult
participation in the Society. They are ready to act independently with their
contemporaries and with selected adult Mentors. They will develop the sk ills they
have become interested in at a near- adult level and would prefer participation in
adult classes to youth activities. As such, no tok en requirements have been
developed for them. They are work ing on becoming the next generation of
artisans and craftsmen in the society. It is hoped they will exercise leadership for
younger participants in the YAFA areas in which they have gained expertise.
Q:
Will Kingdoms be required to institute the proposed program?
A:
YAFA is optional at all levels. Kingdoms are free to implement and use the YAFA
program, or not, as suits the needs of their families. Some k ingdoms have expressed interest in
using YAFA alongside, or integrating it into, their existing Page Guilds and other youth programs.
By providing a common Society-wide system of activities in the arts and sciences with goals,
along with administrative and training systems for participating youths, parents, and Mentors , we
believe the SCA can more fully integrate youth and their families; maintaining and extending their
participation. YAFA will aid in the development of the next generation of artisans and craftsmen
of the Society. It is not designed to replace existing programs, but to support and supplement
them. At this point in the program we are not proposing that individual groups can sign up so it
will be dependent on the Kingdom joining the program.
Q:
What will be the Achievement subjects and categories of the proposed program?
A:
There are wide arrays of sk ills, crafts, and k nowledge that will be available for learning
through the SCA YAFA program. Families and young people will be able to browse a variety of
subject areas and choose to explore and pursue those they find interesting. Some subjects are in
arts and/or craftwork , some in vocational fields, some in service to others, and several are in
cultural or life sk ills areas. Parents and guardians have the ability to select the different divisions
for their youths to pursue based on their k nowledge of their child’s capabilities. Twenty-seven
subject areas have already been developed. They are: Agriculture, Archery, Arms & Armor,
Bask etry, Calligraphy – Illumination, Cook ing, Costuming, Dance, Equestrian, Family Life,
Fighting, Games, Glasswork s, Heraldry, Herbalism – Medicine, Horn work ing – Bone carving,
Jewelry – Lapidary, Metalwork ing, Music, Papermak ing – Book binding, Pottery, Rapier, Siege
Weaponry, Textiles, Thrown Weapons and Woodwork ing. More topics will be added as the
program evolves and more subject matter experts join.
Q:
How will I be able to get my family involved in the proposed program?
A:
Families that are interested in becoming involved with YAFA should contact their
k ingdom youth officer to mak e sure their k ingdom is involved in the project. If so, they can then
go online to the YAFA webpage to enroll their minor child(ren).
 During this part of the process they provide the SCA name, gender, and year of
birth of each minor child that will participate in the program to ensure that the
system will provide the age-appropriate achievements for each minor child to
pursue.
 The parents will need to provide their SCA and modern names, membership
number, phone number, e-mail address, residential zip code/postal code,
k ingdom and local branch name.
 Once the online enrollment is complete, parents will be directed to download the
pamphlet, “How to Protect Your Children” to ensure that all parents are familiar
with and aware of fundamental security issues and processes.
 Parents must select “Yes, I’ve downloaded the file”, once the pamphlet has been
downloaded. This action will also generate an e-mail to their k ingdom youth
officer for record k eeping purposes, so that each k ingdom will be aware of those
families who choose to participate in the program.
 Parents can then log in to the YAFA webpage to browse and then download the
various Achievement information and work sheets for their child, and to
administer the involvement of the child in the program.
Once parents have decided on achievement(s) for their child(ren) to pursue, the parents
are responsible for choosing the appropriate Mentor for the s elected achievement(s) and for
mak ing the initial contact with that Mentor. Lists of available mentors for each achievement are
available through the YAFA webpage directly, or can be found by contacting the k ingdom youth
officials responsible for administering the YAFA program within each participating k ingdom.
Q:
How will I be able to become a Mentor in the proposed program?
A:
Becoming a mentor to participating and interested youth is a multi-step process that is
explained in detail in the YAFA manual, available on the YAFA webpage. Mentor applicants must
fill out an electronic form available on the YAFA webpage, specifying the age groups and
activities for which they seek to become Mentors. Applications are then screened by the local
area YAFA program administrator for suitability to serve as mentors to the selected age groups
for the selected activities – and endorsed as appropriate. The k ingdom YAFA administrator will
then review the application. If accepted, the Mentor will complete an online training course
available through the YAFA webpage to demonstrate an understanding of mentor responsibilities.
Once this course is completed and passed, the Mentor will be listed as a mentor and may begin
work ing with students. Mentors become eligible to procure and wear the Mentor tok ens only after
successfully mentoring their first youth.
Q:
How will the proposed YAFA program be administered?
A:
Administration of the YAFA program is explained in detail in Chapter II of the YAFA
Program Handbook , available on the YAFA webpage. Roles and responsibilities are laid out for
the following levels of administration: Family/Parental level, Local area level, Kingdom level, and
Society level. Most of the administration of the program is c ompleted by participants at all levels
on-line, in response to emails generated by the system. A series of YouTube videos have been
developed (also available through the YAFA webpage) to give the administrators at each level
step-by-step instruction on how to administer the YAFA program.
Q:
What will the online YAFA system look like?
A:
The online system will have all the information you need to participate in the YAFA
program and its activities – for parents, children, mentors, and program administrators at the local
area, Kingdom, and Society levels. The goals, guidelines, and responsibilities are listed in easyto-access formats. There will be a catalog of files for mentors and participants – ranging from
achievement work sheets to SCA policies. The system will automatically generate an email to the
appropriate Kingdom administrator when parents ack nowledge receipt of safety information after
signing up for the program. The system is designed from the outset to be easy to use and will use
continuous feedback from participants for any improvements that need to be made.
Q:
What will the online mentor training system look like?
A:
The online mentor training system is a concise overview of the Mentor's general
responsibilities. Since few mentors are professional teachers in their everyday lives, the overview
includes helpful hints for dealing with youths and families.
Q:
How will we be able to get Achievement Tokens to participants who complete their
requirements?
A:
Obtaining the Achievement Tok ens will be enabled through several different ways, and
the program is designed to allow each of the k ingdoms decide which approach best suits their
own culture, policies, and climate.
a.
EITHER… As the Kingdom youth officer receives the completed achievement
work sheets, the system will allow them to add each participant’s name to the SCA Stock
Clerk ’s list of those eligible to receive each of the various YAFA Achievement Tok ens.
The list specifies eligibility by subject and division. The youth officer updates the
completed work sheets and e-mails the parents/guardians that they can purchase the
appropriate Tok en from the SCA Stock Clerk .
b.
OR… As the Kingdom youth officer receives the completed achievement
work sheets, the system will allow them to add each participant’s name to the SCA Stock
Clerk ’s list of those eligible to receive each of the various YAFA Achievement Tok ens.
The list specifies eligibility by subject and division. The Kingdom youth officer will then
themselves procure the appropriate Tok en from the SCA Stock Clerk in accordance with
their Kingdom Financial Policy. They update the completed work sheets and e-mail the
parent/guardian to inform them that the appropriate Tok en has been purchased from the
SCA Stock Clerk , and to determine the most effective way to provide the tok en to the
child that earned it, given the desires expressed by the parent/guardian as indicated on
the front page of the completed work sheet and consistent with Kingdom policies and the
preferences of the Crown. This option would be funded in various ways depending on
Kingdom preferences, policies, and YAFA and SCA financial policies.
Q:
What is the “buddy system” part of the program, and what will it be like?
A:
Young people enjoy work ing on projects together, and social interaction with other young
people and unrelated adults is an important part of their social development, The YAFA program
encourages this development by mak ing a “buddy system” a part of the achievement program.
The program is designed so that together, at least two or more young people meet with mentors,
plan projects, and bounce ideas off of each other. Having two or more young people work ing on
the same Achievement, even when mak ing different choices within the Achievement
requirements, gives them opportunities to provide encouragement for each other, and to be able
to share what they are learning within the different aspects of the subject area.
Q:
What will it cost me for my family to participate in the proposed YAFA program?
A:
Participation is open to families with at least one current paid member.There are no costs
to member parents for registering or participating in the Achievement program. Some
achievement activities, however, may naturally have material costs that would be incurred by
participants. For example, the Division 1 Woodwork ing Achievement Work sheet ask s the child to
“Mak e a toolbox, birdhouse, a set of book ends, or something else useful,” which would require
that the child acquire wood, fasteners, and tools to do so, in accordance with the preferences and
recommendations of the Mentor. Since families may choose which Achievement Work sheets their
young people work on, their costs would depend on the activities they choose and the materials
they, in coordination with the Mentor, choose to use. Upon successful completion of each
Achievement, parents should be prepared to pay the cost for the Tok ens – currently estimated to
be about $4.00 each – depending on the specific distribution system setup by their Kingdom.
Q
How about background checks; will those be required in the YAFA program for
those who want to be mentors? If so how will you get that done?
A:
Mentors are required to have a back ground check . Please contact your local Seneschal
for further information.
Q
How will the proposed YAFA program help the SCA? Why are family programs
important?
A:
YAFA will assist with the active participation of families with children, youths, and teens in
the study of many medieval subjects and age appropriate activities. These age appropriate
activities and achievements are designed to retain and support SCA members and their families
through education and activities while respecting and protecting the cultural climate of our
individual k ingdoms. YAFA will also allow for an opportunity to share experiences and
accomplishments amongst the youth of the Society – both within their own and across all the
k ingdoms – while mak ing an investment in the future of our Society, our youth. The program is
designed to result in an energetic and growing society of honorable artisans and craftsmen
developed from within the SCA. Additionally, through family programs, families within the Society
can grow and bond together and maintain continuous participation in the Society as they strive to
raise their children. The 2010 SCA Census demonstrated that a third of SCA participants have
children under the age of 18, and that while participation naturally diminishes significantly in the
early years of parenting, parents become somewhat more active in those years targeted by the
YAFA program. By enhancing the opportunities for youth participation itself -- and more
importantly for family participation with youth activities and efforts -- we believe the YAFA
program can significantly improve participation and enjoyment in the Society for that third of our
participants during these crucial years in the development of their children and their families.